The belGRADE (3rd GRADE Conference in Belgrade) focused on foregrounding the role of women and minorities in creative computing, took place on March 13–14, 2025, at the Mathematical Institute of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Belgrade, Serbia. Hosted in the Academy Institute building in downtown Belgrade and held in hybrid form, this two-day event advance the development of Open Educational Resources on the topic, and to provide a platform for all three GRADE Working Groups to reflect on the significance of this aspect of the history of creative computing to their work through keynotes, round tables, workshops, and discussions. This event attracted great attention from both members of the GRADE community and local participants, achieving high attendance while simultaneously being followed via online media.
Day 1 Highlights – March 13, 2025
The event began with registration at 09:00, followed by a short Introduction and a COST Report Session, and a round table dedicated to Women Pioneers in Computing in SEE. Chaired by COST GRADE WG1 members Jasmina Šepetavc and Natalija Majsova, the round table presented a wide range of experiences, impressions and interesting details from the careers of women, who have contributed to regional computing innovations and cultures since the 1980s in the the Yugoslav and post-Yugoslav context. Meliha Handžić, Dunja Mladenić, Gordana Pavlović-Lažetić, and Biljana Stamatović attracted the attention of those present with their personal stories and impressions.
The workshops held during the afternoon featured an introduction to OER development by GRADE Cost Action, chaired by Maria B. Garda, followed by Lightning talks by Sandra Becker and Shana Marinitsch. Later in the day, sections dedicated to WG2 and WG3 were held, including an update on current activities and open issues. The day concluded with Demoshow with Shana Marinitsch, titled Demoscene – No Borders, No Boundaries, and dinner in the pleasant atmosphere of the Snežana restaurant near the venue.
Day 2 Highlights – March 14, 2025
Day two opened with a section dedicated to WG1 activities, and specifically on the progress of the Histories and Cultures of Creative Computing in Europe (1970-2000): Silicon Dawn edited volume) and OER development clinic (task division, survey of materials). Before lunchtime, the participants had the opportunity to experience a guided tour within the permanent exhibition at the Museum of Science and Technology in Belgrade. The part of the exhibition dedicated to the history of computers aroused special interest. Simultaneously, an interactive workshop featuring a student-created game that makes learning about ecology both fun and impactful, developed by gymnasium students under the guidance of their teacher, took place within the Museum space.
After the lunch break, the East-West Exhibition Session focused on the variety of media forms and contents involved in trans-border exchanges, as well as the cultural phenomena that enabled such exchanges. This was followed by a second round table dedicated to Digital Pioneers of Grassroots and Free Libre/Open-Source Software Movements in Serbia, and chaired by COST GRADE Working Group 1 member Milica Knežević. Boško Radivojević, Danilo Šegan, Ivan Čukić, and Vesna Manojlović, gave inspiring discussions on how personal motivations, creative passions, and collective activism converged in the early days of the internet, revealing the ways in which regional and global contexts have influenced each other, offering during their conversation a portrait of computing cultures in Serbia and the broader (post-) Yugoslav context. The conference concluded with updates on future GRADE activities and practical information.